I'm really excited for next week's launch party for Boomtown Craze, the third volume in the Backworlds series by M. Pax. Yay, Mary!

Have you read any good books lately? What's on your TBR list?

Finally, since we're on the subject of books and reading, I wanted to share that I am holding my first Goodreads giveaway and will be giving away three paperback copies of Polar Night. If you'd like to enter, just go here:

Monday, February 25, 2013

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I am excited as I actually got some work done on a sequel to Polar Night over the weekend, so that made me feel great. I've been wanting to get that started for a while and couldn't get anywhere, so I'm hoping I'm finally on track now. Fingers crossed!

I was also happy to see that Argo won Best Picture at the Oscars last night. I totally loved that movie and was completely engrossed in the story from start to finish. So I thought that was the right choice.

But on to the bigger news, as today is a big day for two great writers here in the blogosphere! Laura Eno is revealing the cover of her upcoming book and Ciara Knight is gathering all Neumarian rebels together to celebrate the release of her latest, Escapement. Congratulations to both Laura and Ciara!

First up, the cover for Jewel of Shaylar by Laura Eno:

Here is the blurb for the book:

Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.

Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

I'm also very excited to be one of the rebels participating in Ciara Knight's Neumarian Uprising today. This is the first time in my life I've ever been a rebel! Before I get to the details of the uprising, let me just say that I read Weighted, Ciara's prequel to Escapement. and was amazed at what a powerful punch she packed into such a short story! I'm really anxious to see what is coming next for the Neumarians.

Here is all the info:

We need your help! Thanks to our spy, Ciara Knight, we are able to communicate with you today via blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

The Neumarian uprising has begun. We are fighting for freedom and equality for all, but we need your help. Ciara informed us that you might want to know more about the uprising and why we ask you to risk your lives for our cause. To answer these questions I’ve agreed to let Ciara tell my sister’s, Raeth’s, story about her captivity. It will be free for you on a site called Amazon until March 1, 2013.

Our spies have told us this will help spread the word and find more recruits for our rebellion against the tyrannical queen. You can help by simply downloading a free copy of Weighted. If you are intrigued and wish to follow our uprising, Escapement, book I of The Neumarian Chronicles, will be available for only $2.99 until March 1, 2013.

Escapement is told by Princess Semara. Don’t hold the fact Semara is a princess against her like I did, there is more to her than you can possibly imagine.

Here is a brief explanation of her telling of our uprising:

Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen’s reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother’s empire. When my own erratic powers surface I’m captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death.

What people are saying about Escapement:

“A heady mix of action adventure and steampunk -- leavened with a dash of romance -- ESCAPEMENT offers up its fair share of thrills, horrors and heart-pounding moments. A strong start to a captivating new series.”

-- Jana Oliver, author of The Demon Trapper's Daughter

“A riveting tale of justice, mercy, honor and love. Take a deep breath and hold on, because you'll be turning the pages of Escapement quickly. Three unlikely comrades, Princess Semara, Ryder, and his sister Raeth, embark on a journey that will alter their lives forever. The beautiful love story nestled into these action-packed scenes will make you sigh and remember why you love to love. After reading the prequel Weighted, I knew this story would be amazing, and it was. Ciara Knight truly has a gift for creating awesome worlds and characters you won't forget.”

--Lindi Peterson--Award winning author of Summer's Song.

“Betrayal, secrets, and a rebellion send readers on a grand adventure, caught in the plight to discover Semara’s gifts and purpose.”

Friday, February 22, 2013

A couple
break up on a rainy night; a runaway longs to go home; a woman finds comfort
from eating lunch as her best friend lies in hospital; a teenager feels
oppressed by her father. All of the characters in these stories are trying to
find their place in the world, attempting to find connections that matter with
the people around them.

This
collection brings together prize-winning and published stories from the past
twenty years: the ‘greatest hits’.

That Sadie Thing and other stories will be available on

Kindle from Monday 25th February 2013.

Annalisa Crawford lives and writes in Cornwall with a good supply of beaches and moorland to keep her inspired. She finds endless possibilities in the relationships between people. As this collection testifies, she has been writing for twenty years - but doesn't feel a day over twenty-one.

Byron thought
he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his
only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government
bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s
ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the
Cassans.

After enemy
ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own
family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his
son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s
mind.

Meanwhile the
ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life
in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years
ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a
connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the
middle…

Release date:
September 17, 2013

Science Fiction
- Space Opera/Adventure

Print ISBN
9781939844002

E-book ISBN
9781939844019

Huge congratulations again to Alex and Annalisa! I think both of these covers are fantastic, and both books are going right to my TBR list.

This week was an easy one for me, as I am celebrating the fact that I have internet at home again! As of yesterday, I got my modem from the new service provider installed and so far, so good. Everything seems to be working fine and I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this is the end of that whole mess.

Shelly is inviting everyone to cheer on the runaway bride as part of her giveaway, so visit her here if you would like to enter.

If you know Shelly, you know she is always very generous with both hugs
and chocolate, so today I am sending both back to her! Congratulations,
Shelly!

I'm also excited to be part of Heather McCorkle's blog tour for the release of her fantasy novel, The Dragon Empire. Congratulations, Heather!

For today's stop Heather is answering the following question:

Why write from a dragon's point of view?

Heather: Dragons have fascinated me since I was very little. They are well covered in literature but it's rare to find a story written from their point of view. I wanted to give voice to the creature that has captured my imagination so completely.

On Yacrana dragons are the advanced species. But advanced doesn't always mean civilized...

There's trouble in the Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between dragons and the races of people. Hidden factions of dragons believe they should rule the lesser races, not simply stand aside and allow them to develop as they will. Having lived so long in peace, the Emperors turn a blind eye, many oblivious that such attitudes even exist.

Despite being only an architect class, emerald dragon, Grendar is willing to risk banishment and death to stop that which his rulers refuse to see. The hope of peace lies not within the scaled breast of a dragon however, but within the hands of a group of people. But if the hidden factions have their way, these people won’t live to fulfill such a destiny. With a reluctant seer at his side, Grendar must leave his precious Empire for the outside world to save those that will one day save his kind.

While The Dragon Empire is for ages young adult and up, it does contain mild violence and some difficult subject matter.

Finally, I've been having problems with my Internet at home since before Christmas, and last week it finally died on me for good. I'm hoping to get my new modem set up today and have everything working again but, as we all know, sometimes computers have a mind of their own when it comes to this sort of thing.

I know I haven't been able to keep up with visiting blogs and connecting on other sites in the past week, but I hope that will change after today and I can get back to a more normal routine on Friday. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! I may end up in the psych ward if my new modem doesn't fix the problem. ;)

Monday, February 18, 2013

Gwen Gardner: Gwen writes YA Paranormal books and is having a Free Kindle Promotion for Giving Up The Ghost February 18th and 19th. I read Giving Up The Ghost last month and I can tell you it's a fantastic read. I am already looking forward to Gwen's next book.

Melissa Bradley: Melissa writes romance, adventure, and suspense novels. I have not read one of Melissa's books yet but they are on my TBR list and this event is inspiring me to move them up to the top of that list. FYI, Melissa's books contain adult content that may not be appropriate for young readers.

If you're not familiar with Writers4Writers, the mission of the group is to

• Help writers bring awareness of their book(s) to tens of thousands of new people• Help writers reach Amazon Top 100 in at least one category (i.e., suspense, free, whatever)• Increase sales of their book(s) after the promo is over• Drive new traffic to their blog and increase following• Create verbal and viral buss.

Basically, it's a fun and easy way to support different writers each month, and possibly learn about some new great books yourself. To learn more and to join Writers4Writers, just sign up here.

Also, I wanted to announce the results of my Polar Night giveaway, which concluded on Saturday. Thanks again to everyone who helped me spread the word about Polar Night during my first blog tour! I was thrilled to see over the weekend that the paperback edition of the book is now available at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, so I suppose I can stop checking the sites every fifteen seconds now. :D

Friday, February 15, 2013

I'm finishing up my Polar Night blog tour and want to say thanks again to the wonderful ladies who allowed me to be part of their blogs during the past week. Thank you to Cathrina, Cecilia, Lisa, Cherie, Mary, and LG!

I'm excited to be finishing up my tour with such great hosts, and I'm sending a huge thank you to Misha and Frances!

Thanks also to everyone who has stopped by here and visited me at my tour stops. I really appreciate all the amazing support I've received for Polar Night! You guys are all the greatest, but then I knew that already. :D

In other news, today is a big day for Cecilia Robert as she is revealing the cover for her upcoming romance A Need So Insatiable. Congratulations, Cecilia!!

Here is the gorgeous cover and the scoop on the book:

Book blurb

“I’ve never bowed or kneeled for anyone,” Rafael said. “Never thought I would.” Then he was on his knees. He slid his arms around my waist, tugging me closer and bowed his head.“You own me, Sophie.” He looked up, his dark eyes hitting me with enough force to snatch the breath from my lungs. “You’ve owned me from the moment I walked into your life in that music room. Then I saw you slipping out the window like the wolves were after you and I knew I wanted you in my life. You’ve wrapped yourself in my heart and mind. I can’t get you out. I don’t want to.”
Graduate opera singer, Sophie Fisher’s life is on fire and it’s not her breathtaking voice lighting it, but the trail of debts her father left behind after he passed away a few months ago. If she’s not ducking around corners or slipping out of windows to escape the debt collectors and a slew of characters sent from hell, she’s dealing with her rebellious fifteen-year-old sister, Lilli, who is still coming to terms with their father’s death. And as if that’s not enough, Rafael Van Rees bursts into her life—literally—bringing with him a set of emotions she isn’t prepared to deal with and a life the public had no idea of.

Rafael Van Rees, Maestro extraordinaire, just wants to be left in peace to date whichever woman he feels like, have dinner with whomever he feels like, and just enjoy his life. Until he meets Sophie and his past returns to haunt him. And just when he thought he didn’t care about her, his history proves him wrong. He knows when it comes to her, it’s all or nothing. Besides, she makes him feel fuzzy all over.

Is Sophie’s fire hot enough to melt the ice coursing through his veins?

Cecilia Robert lives in Vienna with her two children, has an incurable obsession with books, anything romantic, TV and medieval architecture. When not working in her full time job, catching up with her two children, writing or reading, she can be found, knitting or crocheting, or taking photos of old buildings.

Obviously the biggest thing I'm celebrating today is wrapping up my first blog tour, but I am also thrilled because I got my tax returns finished this week and it's a huge relief to have that over and done for the year. To make it better, I didn't owe any additional taxes and will even get a little bit of money back. So that called for a double celebration. :)

What are you celebrating this week?

Congratulations again to Cecilia, and best wishes to her for another successful book. My own giveaway ends tomorrow, 2/16, so sign up here if you want to be entered into the drawing.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

I'm over at Bards and Prophets today for a special Valentine's visit with L.G. Smith. We're discussing love stories as well as the characters of Polar Night and their generally awful love lives. While Valentine's Day isn't featured in Polar Night because the story takes place in December, I have no doubt that main character Danny Fitzpatrick would absolutely hate the holiday. And as for his nemesis Aleksei Nechayev, there's no question that any idea he came up with for Valentine's Day would be something flat-out horrifying.

I want to say a huge thank you to L.G. for opening up her blog to me. If you know L.G., you know she totally rocks!

So please come visit me over at Bards and Prophets and weigh in on the types of love stories you enjoy the most.

Also, my giveaway is continuing until Saturday, 2/16 so please sign up below if you'd like a chance to win. The prizes include 1) a $25 Amazon gift card, 2) a signed paperback copy of Polar Night, and 3) two ebook copies of Polar Night.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I'm visiting Spacedock 19 today to hang out with M. Pax and her talented bartender Craze. This is my second trip to Spacedock and it's always a great place to visit, so I want to send a huge thank you to Mary for having me as her guest! I wasn't sure what to expect from this visit as I know Craze has been mad at Mary for a while now, but I had nothing to be concerned about as he seems to have forgiven her for now and was a perfect co-host as always. Stop by here to have a drink with us and learn more about Polar Night!

Also, Polar Night is now available on Smashwords as well as Amazon, so I'm excited to be able to share another link! I'm still waiting on the paperback, but you can now find Polar Night on Smashwords here. It's a thrill for me to see it showing up on more places around the net! :)

Because the book is now on Smashwords, I can offer other ebook formats besides Kindle for my giveaway. So the third place prize will now be either a Kindle copy or any format the winner chooses from Smashwords. I'm having a little problem with my Linky List and it is not showing up at the moment, but I am working to get it active again as soon as possible. Yet another learning experience for me!

I know it's a long way to Spacedock so I better head out now. Hope to see you there!

ETA: The Linky code is working again now. Only pulled a few hairs out before I got it back LOL.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

I'm continuing on with the Polar Night blog tour today with a visit to Cherie Reich, author of a number of fantastic books, including The Gravity Trilogy and The Nightmare Collection. Cherie has an incredible imagination and all of her books are great reads, so I'd recommend checking them out if you're not already familiar with her work.

I'm so grateful to Cherie for having me as her guest, and today I'm talking about the fact that I still don't really know what genre Polar Night falls into. Have you ever struggled to figure out what genre your book is in or am I alone in this dilemma?

My giveaway is also still continuing so please sign up below if you'd like a chance to win. The prizes include 1) a $25 Amazon gift card, 2) a signed paperback copy of Polar Night, and 3) two Kindle copies of Polar Night.

Monday, February 11, 2013

I'm continuing my mini blog tour today with a visit to the amazingly talented Lisa Regan. Lisa is the author of Finding Claire Fletcher and if you haven't read her book yet, you're missing out! In addition to being a fantastic writer, Lisa is one of the nicest people you're likely to meet. I'm excited to be at her site today talking about the strange dream I had that led me to Polar Night.

My giveaway is still going on all this week while I'm out on tour, so just sign up via the Linky Tool at the bottom of this page if you'd like to sign up for a chance to win.

Tyrean is also one of the nicest bloggers around and I have no doubt that her book will be excellent. I'm excited that it is the first book in a trilogy, as it's always fun to know there are more great books coming!

Here is all the info on Champion in the Darkness:

The Blurb:

Clara is younger than most trainees, but she is ready to hold a Sword Master's blade. While visions and ancient prophecies stand in her way, they also offer a destiny unlike any other. Clara is aided by a haunted mentor, Stelia, whose knowledge of their enemy Kalidess is both a bane and a blessing. As evil threatens their land, Clara and Stelia must find the strength to overcome the darkness.

Champion in the Darkness is YA Christian Fantasy, and is the first book in the Champion Trilogy.

Tyrean Martinson lives and writes in
the Northwest, encouraged by her loving husband and daughters, and
reminded to exercise by her dogs and cat. Champion in the Darkness is
the first book in the Champion Trilogy, and she has previously published
short stories and poetry.

Congratulations again to Tyrean!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm heading over to hang out with Lisa now. :)

Friday, February 8, 2013

Polar Night is now officially available on Kindle! And the paperback will be available next week as expected. So after yesterday's meltdown/panic attack/descent into madness, I am feeling much better today! :D

To find the Kindle version, click here. I will share the paperback link as soon as I have it.

Now that I've come down from the ledge, I'm kicking off my giveaway to celebrate the release of my first novel! I was originally going to do this with Rafflecopter, but realized I spoke too soon last week when I posted that I had mastered the use of this tool. So I'm just going with a Linky List since I do know how to manage that.

Here are the prizes:

First prize: A $25 gift card for Amazon.com or the equivalent in items from the International Book Depository for those outside the US.

Two third prizes: One ebook copy of Polar Night to each third place winner

To enter, all you have to do is sign up via the attached Linky List. While there are no other requirements for entering, I would be eternally grateful to anyone who shares about the release and giveaway via their blog, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or any other site! The giveaway will be open through next week and will close on Saturday, February 16.

Also, I am going on a mini blog tour to help celebrate the release, and will be visiting (or have already visited) these fantastic sites:

Earlier this week I did an interview with Cathrina Constantine, another new author who will be celebrating the release of her debut novel later this year. The interview is here.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

If there is one thing I'm certain about when it comes to the writing world, it's that the whole process of writing and publishing continues to be a learning experience for me. And that it comes with a huge learning curve.

As you can probably guess, I was wrong about my book Polar Night being available on February 7. I knew the paperback edition would not show up on Amazon until sometime next week, but it was my understanding that the Kindle edition would be available today.

But I now know that the processing of the Kindle edition is not as immediate as I had assumed. The book may be available later tonight or tomorrow, but I can't say for sure.

I had planned to start a blog tour and giveaway today, but for now I am postponing the start of the giveaway until next week.

I'm still going to be at my friend Cecilia Robert's blog on Friday, February 8 for a guest post, and I'm so grateful to Cecilia for having me as her guest. I also visited Cathrina Constantine for an interview earlier this week, and that interview is up on her blog now. Cathrina is new to the blogging world and is awaiting the publication of her debut novel later this year. I'm excited that she chose me to be her first guest on her new blog.

Thanks again to everyone who has expressed an interest in Polar Night, I am so grateful and I am looking forward to kicking off the blog tour next week. I hope I will have links to share by then!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

I'm really excited to be one of Alex's co-hosts, along with Stephen Tremp, for this month's meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! This is the first time I've ever helped host an event like this, and I can't think of a better way to jump into hosting than by helping out with the IWSG.

Right after I told Alex I would be a co-host for the February meeting, I learned that my debut novel Polar Night would be officially published on February 7. That's right, tomorrow!

In spite of the fact that I am thrilled beyond words that my novel will now be out in the world, it also gives me plenty to be insecure about. I'm afraid that no one will like the book. I'm afraid that no one will even read the book. I'm insecure about getting bad reviews or getting no reviews at all. Basically I'm a nervous wreck about the whole situation.

But, I am going to do my best to shove all those insecurities aside and, for once in my life, simply enjoy what is. No matter what else does or doesn't happen, one thing will still be true. I published a novel! :)

Thanks to Alex for having me as his co-host today!

I also want to congratulate L. Diane Wolfe on the release of her new book How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now! This sounds like just the book for me as I start the process of promoting my book. Here is all the info on this great new resource:

HOW TO PUBLISH AND PROMOTE YOUR BOOK
NOW!

By L. Diane
Wolfe

Publishing and promoting made
simple!

Have you
always dreamed of publishing a book but didn’t know where to begin? This book
walks you through the steps of identifying markets, budgeting, building an
online presence, and generating publicity. Get the whole story
on:

·Traditional publishing

·Self-publishing

·Print and
e-book setup, formatting, and distribution

·Finding
your target audience

·Generating
reviews and media interest

·Networking
and developing an online presence

·Promotional materials and
appearances

Uncover
your ideal publishing path and numerous marketing options before you begin.
Writing is your dream. Give it the best chance for
success!

Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the
National Speakers Association and a motivational speaker. She’s conducted
seminars on book publishing and promoting for five years and assisted writers
through several author services. Her other titles include “Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK!”
which ties her goal-setting and leadership seminar’s information together, and a
YA series, “The Circle of
Friends.” Wolfe travels extensively for media interviews and speaking
engagements, maintains a dozen websites & blogs, and contributes to several
other sites and newsletters.

When I was a kid I spent nearly all of my time with my sister, as I followed her around like a puppy, so I never really thought about having an imaginary friend. But I did have a stuffed dog who accompanied me everywhere, including the hospital when I had to have my tonsils out, and slept with me every single night. I received the dog as a gift when I was a baby and named him Hoppy Poppy when I was too young to come up with a better name. ;)

Even though Hoppy Poppy was an inanimate object, I considered him my special friend and my confidante, and he still has a home with me in a box in my closet. He's a ragged mess now and much of his stuffing has come out, but he will always be a childhood treasure to me.

Congratulations to Annalisa and Happy Birthday to Cat and The Dreamer on February 14th! If you haven't already read Cat and The Dreamer, I highly recommend it. It is an emotional and powerful story that really packs a punch.

My small pleasure this week is that I learned how to use rafflecopter and managed to successfully create a widget for my upcoming release party and giveaway for Polar Night. As I said last week when I learned how to add my "find me" buttons to the blog, any time I am able to figure out how to create something online it feels like a victory to me. I am often a master at turning even the simplest task into a nightmare.

Other than that, I didn't accomplish much this week as my mind has been too busy turning to mush over the fact that my release is now less than a week away. I'm beyond excited but also a nervous wreck! But now that I have the widget, I'm anxious to be able to share the details of the giveaway next week.

Baby Moo's Great Escape

About Me

Author of the Polar Night series and The Ghosts of Aquinnah. My first children's book, Baby Moo's Great Escape, is now available! When not writing fiction, I love to write about animals and animal-related issues.